By Robert Goldrich

While people are more connected than ever, they are grappling with the fear of being left behind and missing out, according to new research by global marketing and communications firm Havas Worldwide.

The latest issue of Havas’ Prosumer Report, “The Modern Nomad: Connect Me If You Can,” explores how our always-on world has affected the way we live, work, and think, as well as the ways brands can help people get the most out of their high-speed lives. (Prosumer Reports is a series of thought leadership publications by Havas Worldwide–part of a global initiative to share information and insights, including Havas’ own proprietary research, across its network of agencies and client companies.)

“The Modern Nomad: Connect Me If You Can” draws on findings from an online survey of 10,131 people aged 18+ in 28 markets: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The survey was created by Havas Worldwide and fielded by Market Probe International in March 2015.

Among the findings uncovered by the latest research is the Productivity Paradox. Complaining about how busy we are has become a standard part of conversations, and yet fewer than 1 in 3 respondents always have too much to do, and only 1 in 5 say they’re constantly rushing around. Forty-two percent admitted they sometimes pretend to be busier than they actually are—and 6 in 10 believe other people are faking their busyness.

The study also revealed country- and culture-specific perspectives, categorizing the 28 respondent markets into three major groups: The Conflicted (those experiencing the greatest tension between wanting to speed up and slow down), The Entrenched (those markets that view the new pace of life as something to be worked around), and The Fatigued (those who long to return to a slower, more mindful way of living).

The report additionally identified attitudes toward modern transportation and the additional advances people most want to see. For example, categorized at Cars 2.0, nearly 6 in 10 prosumers and 43 percent of mainstream consumers would like their cars to be connected to the Internet, and the majority of prosumers think the best-selling cars of 2050 will be sold by technology brands.

At the same time, people are not particularly excited about impending advances in mobility. Only around a quarter to a third of global respondents indicated they’re eager to start using self-driving cars, magnetic-levitation trains, urban transport pods, or affordable electric bicycles.

To put the survey results into big picture perspective, SHOOT connected with Tim Maleeny, chief strategy officer for Havas Worldwide, and managing partner of Havas Worldwide New York.

SHOOT: What are the key findings of this study in terms of their relevance to brands, agencies and marketers?

Maleeny: The theme of mobility encompasses a broad range of products and consumer behaviors, but a number of findings suggest more significant trends.

Now that we carry our work and social lives in our pockets in the form of a smart phone, we’re always connected whether we want to be or not. And with the rise of social media, there’s a perception that we should always be busy, always be posting, always on and always doing something. To be busy is the social currency of our day. Ask anyone how their day was and odds are they’ll reply, “busy,” even if they’re talking about their weekend. The study revealed that 40% of global respondents exaggerate how busy they actually are, while 60% believe most others are faking their busyness. People feel that to be busy is to be relevant, to not be busy means that maybe you don’t matter.

But we’re also seeing pushback against the hyper-connected lifestyle, with more consumers going for digital detox vacations, setting boundaries on their screen time or shutting their phones off to reconnect with those around them. Not everywhere but in some markets there’s still a daily tension around staying connected and finding balance. 52% of respondents believe that people always on the go have more interesting lives, while 50% also believe people always on the go are missing out on some important parts of life. Consumers globally showed an increase in feeling under pressure to stay connected, finding it harder to concentrate on a single task, and generally keep up with the perceived pace of those around them.

Another area of interest was consumer’s attachment to their cars. Despite all the recent press around bullet trains and hyper loops and driver-less cars, 60% of prosumers feel a personal connection to their cars and 51% of males said they enjoy driving and have no interest in self-driving cars. On one hand consumers see that cars are really becoming technological devices with wheels, since companies like Apple and Google are actively involved in designing the next wave of transportation. But on the other hand consumers seem to see that as a collective future in which we all may live one day, but when thinking about themselves, as individual drivers, they are still emotionally attached to their cars and still see themselves as staying behind the wheel.

SHOOT: How will/should these findings impact creative approach and/or strategy when it comes to connecting with consumers?

Maleeny: Marketing technology for technology’s sake isn’t going to work. There has to be some reason why it’s cool, some obvious human benefit if you want that gizmo to be relevant. There’s so much that’s changed in consumers’ lives and behaviors in the last decade — remember the iPhone is less than a decade old and Facebook just over 10 — that the promise of even more technology isn’t necessarily appealing unless you position it in the context of our daily lives. How will it help me, what will I do with that, why should I care? Those are the questions marketers need to answer.

SHOOT: What about creative approaches/strategies targeted to the typologies identified in the study: The Conflicted, The Entrenched, and The Fatigued?

Maleeny: These segments ring true if you think about your own relationship with technology and mobility, and then look around at your friends and think about their different behaviors. And then extrapolate those behaviors to other markets where technology and interconnectedness might be more or less developed.

I think the key to applying any psychographic or typology to marketing it to remember that brands need to be in the empathy business. Understanding the target’s feelings and frustrations is key to solving their problems, because if they don’t feel empathy from your brand, they won’t see the utility in your product.

SHOOT: How do the Havas offices worldwide go about tapping into these findings and adjusting/adapting their thinking/approaches accordingly?

Maleeny: Havas has a track record of building brands that respect their customers, brands that celebrate shared values rather than just sell. That’s only possible if you truly understand the habits and attitudes of the people you’re talking to, so we try to build brand platforms around a genuine consumer insight. A study like this gives us so many different angles from which to connect with consumers. By understanding the behaviors and values of your consumers, you can identify a shared language and build a bridge between your brand and the people you want to reach.

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